UVEX, the ski goggle manufacturer, got a nastygram from an Olympics Committee IP lawyer, forbidding them from using any images, or even mentioning, that gold medal winner Lindsey Vonn uses their equipment.

There once was a lawyer from the IOC,
who called us to protect “intellectual property.””During the Olympics”, she said with a sneer
“your site can’t use an Olympian’s name even if they use your gear.”

“No pictures, no video, no blog posts can be used…”
Even if they are old? “No!”, she enthused.

While Olympians chase gold the IOC pursues green.
Cough up millions, or your logo cannot be seen . . .

Theoretically, a trademark claim is partly about protecting a company’s name from “tarnishment,” but it’s hard to imagine how one could tarnish the IOC’s reputation any further, between the naked greed, the unchecked bullying, the corruption and bribery, the doping, and the censorship. Oh, and the thousands of poor people inevitably evicted whenever the Olympics come to town. Is there any way the IOC’s reputation could sink lower?